armstrong creek urban growth plan volume 1 - City of Greater Geelong

KEY CONCEPT: KNOWLEDGE-BASED ENTERPRISE
Increasingly, we live in a world where cities compete for people, and
businesses follow. This trend has largely been ignored by many cities,
which are still focused on business climate and tax incentives. But I think
the big question businesses will ask in the years to come is going to be ‘Can
I hire talented people in this city?’ Cities need to be able to answer ‘yes’ to
succeed. Carol Coletta
Achievement of the higher order economic and employment aspirations will be
largely determined by the skills base of the area. ‘Higher order’ refers to activities
that are not substantially ‘population driven’—in particular the Western Industrial
Precinct business park concept and the advanced business service aspirations for
activity centres and home based businesses. Businesses in these categories are
generally ‘footloose’, and are driven by—and attracted to—areas that offer the
highest possible range and depth of skills.
‘Skills base’ refers to business leaders and entrepreneurs who drive higher order
economic development. It also refers to the workers that provide the innovation
input into the business process.
Therefore, the quality of the urban environment is a critical feature in contemporary
economic and employment development. A place with a high quality environment
and a positive image will have an advantage over a competitor location, all other
things being equal. In the new economy, where skilled workers hold the keys to
business success, quality urban environments are important marketing tools for
businesses in the battle to attract and retain skilled workers. Businesses will not
locate in areas where their managers or staff will not go.
Armstrong Creek will have a slim chance of achieving the higher order business
aspirations shown in this plan without a quality urban offer to underpin the
nurturing, attraction and retention of skilled workers. An important part of the urban
offer will be quality housing estates, quality activity centres, a range of lifestyle
amenities and first rate schools and higher education facilities—key elements for a
high quality of life.
The western part of the growth area contains or is proposed to contain most of the
attractions for knowledge workers: excellent accessibility by train and car, an
attractive setting, the proximity of Deakin University’s Waurn Ponds campus and
high quality housing nearby. The proposed plan for the growth area capitalises on
the presence of these attractions to grow an ‘innovation hub’ in the western part of
the site. This will go a long way to creating local employment opportunities for the
residents of the growth area.
ARMSTRONG CREEK URBAN GROWTH PLAN / VOLUME 1 (ADOPTED 13 MAY 2008, AMENDED MAY 2010)
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